DJ&A worked with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to develop a long-term vision and management strategies for sustainable outdoor recreation in highly-visited areas of the Adirondack and Catskill Parks.
DJ&A compiled and analyzed existing recreation use data and worked with NYSDEC to design and conduct onsite studies of recreation use and user capacities in each project area. Our onsite data collection included surveys of recreation users, observation- and equipment-based recreation use counts, and GPS-based tracking of recreation use patterns. DJ&A also designed and facilitated in-person and virtual public meetings, in-person workshops with stakeholders, virtual workshops with NYSDEC staff core teams, and produced a public-facing website to enhance project transparency. DJ&A delivered a final report with recommendations for visitor use management strategies and monitoring plans for long-term implementation for each project area.
Key Services
- Existing resources review to identify information gaps
- Onsite study design and data collection, including an onsite survey with photo simulations
- Statistical and user capacity analysis
- Public and stakeholder engagement design, facilitation, and documentation
- Preparation of a final recommendations report and monitoring plan
- Visitor use management framework applications
- Agency capacity-building
Value Added:
This complex, high-profile, and multi-year project provided NYSDEC with the foundation to proactively manage visitor use in world-class outdoor recreation destinations.
